Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go see the one and only Justin Bieber live in Toronto. Now, just to be clear, Justin is not high on my list of favorite singers….in fact he doesn’t even make my list but my daughter Taylor is his Number 1 fan (self-proclaimed btw) and since she attended David’s concert with me in Verona last December, I had promised her that I would go to a Justin concert. Plus, I really wanted to see what the all of the hype was about. 🙂

What exactly is it about this kid that makes him an international phenomenon?? I’m thinking surely he must sing better live than recorded because I obviously don’t hear what the rest of the world is hearing…..David can out-sing this kid by miles but where is David’s super stardom? Is it Justin’s personality? Is it his looks? Is he really that great of a singer? Recently Oprah compared him to Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson….HUH!?!?!!!

I did a little comparison while I was there of a Justin concert vs. a David concert. My daughter and I have two totally different ideas of what a concert should entail…..and there were many differences between the two!! I’m basing my information mostly on the one and only David concert I’ve been to which was at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY for the MKOC tour. So here goes!!

1)The number 1 difference is the sheer number of people attending the concert! The venue at Turning Stone holds 800 people….the Rogers Centre in Toronto holds 55,000. Justin’s concert sold out all 55,000 seats within 10 minutes of going on sale!! I know David has done many concerts with larger venues than Turning Stone but nothing close to 55,000 seats.

2)With numbers like that, it changes the whole feel of the concert. At Justin’s concert, you could feel the electricity in the air as soon as you walked in….fans were screaming constantly whether there was anyone on stage or not. Even non-Bieber fans like me and my friend were finding ourselves getting pumped for the show.

3)Another big difference I noticed was the age of the fans! Justin’s fans consisted of kids from ages 5 to 18!! Most adults were there to accompany younger children to the show! My daughter actually commented on that when we were at David’s concert….she noticed that there were not too many kids her age (18) and said that most of David’s fans were…uhmmm….old!! (Excuse me Missy….who are you calling old?!!!)

4)Justin does not do his show alone….his opening acts were The Wanted, Cody Simpson and Carly Rae Jepson and Drake made an appearance during two of Justin’s songs. He pulls some big names in with him. (Side note….I loved The Wanted!! I could have listened to them all night J)

5)Justin does a major production!! He had a DJ between songs to keep the crowd pumped! There were dance numbers with many dancers that were amazing! The lighting was awesome!! Now that being said, during the dance numbers, Justin does not sing live….he lip synched through the songs! I have huge issues with that….my daughter did not!! In her words…”how do expect him to sing and dance at the same time??” My words….”I’m sorry but if I’m paying hard earned money to go to a concert, you better sing to me!!”. Give me David bouncing around the stage any day….he can move and sing at the same time while still sounding amazing!!

6)David talks to his fans between songs…..Justin screams to his….just to get them to scream louder for him!! And they do…very loudly!! I found this very annoying….and nope, it’s not because I’m “old”!!! I got the impression that everything about Justin is just that…..about Justin!

7)And the final difference, which was a MAJOR issue for me! Justin Bieber cannot….I’m going to repeat that…CANNOT sing live!!! OMG!! My mouth dropped to the floor when he started singing his first song….he sings very high, very pitchy and very off key….it was just awful!! But 55,000 fans (minus at least two because my friend was just as dumbfounded as I was) were screaming and cheering the whole time!! I found myself wanting him to lip synch!! I can’t for the life of me figure it out….either they couldn’t hear how awful he sounded over their screaming or they just don’t care!! I was counting the minutes until the show was over! I just don’t get it?? I promised Taylor I would go to a Justin concert…..I did….and I will never go again!! Like never….EVER!!

I asked Taylor what her opinion was of the difference between the two concerts. Like I said, she’s Justin’s #1 fan so she’s sticking with him but she does listen to David’s music a lot! She told me that she really enjoyed David’s concert because there was no-one pulling her hair or pulling at her trying to get in front of her to get closer to the stage. She was in awe at how he sounded live…way better than she could have ever imagined! She left the show with her heart pounding like everyone else there J Oh and her face dropped when he came out on stage…..all I heard her say was…”Oh my God he’s gorgeous”!

Disclaimer: This picture is only here for contrast sake… i.e., don’t expect to see it again. Ever.:)

But….there was one difference that she pointed out….she thinks David wears too many clothes!! (See the top pic versus this one, on the right, lol.) So I guess that’s what it all comes down to for these teenagers lol. Who cares if they can carry a tune!! I do have to admit though….when I was in Verona, I wanted to quietly slip up onto the stage when David was singing and take that scarf off of his neck…it was overload!! LOL

So I guess if David really wanted the super stardom that he deserves, then he would do what all the other young singers are doing….strip down, party in the right circles, throw his morals into the back seat for a while, etc, etc, etc. But he doesn’t and I for one love him that way. No way will I ever become a Belieber….I’m very happy with my Archie family and friends and will be devoted to this man as long as he is willing to share his life with us, scarves and all. 🙂

51 Responses to Beebs vs. David: @DangItDavid’s concert comparison

Loved that honest recount Penny!! Don’t count on the attire to change tho lol. I would be so disappointed if we had a concert (in 2014, in Toronto, as the first tour stop ~ a gurl can dream) and there was no scarf. Thanks Deb and Penny!

Thanks dangitdavid (Penny) for going to the Beeb’s concert and taking and relating enough notes for me (and probably a bajillion more Archies) to make me remember why I have absolutely no, zero, nada, nein desire to go to one. And the picture of him… gag me! :(( You’re very brave. 🙂

I totally agree with you regarding David’s dress code >> “But he doesn’t and I for one love him that way.” David’s standards are a big part of why I love him.

And TOfan, if you are the one responsible for posting the top picture….. thank you, thank you. Such beauty. That genuine smile cannot be outdone by anyone.

great write up and boy were you brave!
also agree. pretty sure David won’t be changing his dress code, promoting himself all that much and lip syncing with his salsa moves.. he can do both.
thanks guys
you rock!

DangItDavid……thanks for the great write up and concert comparison. Quite the contrast! Yes you are brave and I am somewhat thankful that I don’t have a daughter whom I have to accompany to a JB concert! Nothing against JB, he certainly has done well for himself….but only the very young can make sense of it, lol. Yes, such a difference right there, the age groups that follow him and the array of age groups that follow David. Only the unique and spectacular can cross those boundaries and completely erase them.
Loving right where I am in my musical tastes. 🙂

Thanks for the comments guys!! I was happy to take one for the team to find out what all the fuss about JB was about but I won’t be doing it again :). It’s someone else’s turn extra time lol. My daughter took both of the pictures above at each concert…the one of David is one of my favorite pictures of him!! That smile makes me go weak in the knees…Justin’s abs did nothing for me! He had a cocky “look at me” attitude. Give me shy, humble, heart skips a beat flirty David any day <333

so interesting the part about him lip syncing. one of my fav live performances this year has been this one.. Pink’s Try from the AMAs. the performance alone inspired me to buy her new cd and for me that is a biggie because I usually only buy Davids. as I recall he likes her too and hope one day David will come out of his shell a tad and dance more? (hint hint DWTS) she can obviously sing and dance at the same time.

I loved this performance as well…not only for her singing ability and the great song but didnt realize how athletic she was!! She’d be another great choice for DWTS….maybe the same time as David when he does it (it’s Christmas so that’s my Christmad wish 🙂 )

You are a courageous woman! I give you props for sticking it out for the entire concert!

To me the Beebs is nothing but a “manufactured” star. Remember when he had a swagger coach?! I mean voice lessons I could understand, but a swagger coach?? For what, so he can learn to act like he’s cool??

I am convinced that you can take any semi-attractive young male or female with mediocre singing ability, and if you throw enough money at them and develop a calculated strategy for creating crazy media buzz, pair them with other established artists to give the impression that they are respected and “connected” then pay to get their music played constantly on the radio (in other words give the “illusion” that they are “The Next Big Thing”), that today’s youth are so impressionable that they will BELIEVE that the “artist” (ahem) is “The Next Big Thing”. It’s total manipulation without any substance and they are making tons of money and ruining our ears and the music industry because of it. I often wonder what “real artists” think of all these “stars”. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall?!

Thanks for the concert comparisons – found it very interesting and enlightening. I hope your ears have recovered enough from the awful live singing and screaming to be able to enjoy David’s soothing voice once again. Glad kimak posted the Pink singing live at the AMAs. Not only was I impressed with her live singing, the choreography was outstanding! That takes many hours of practice to perform together like they did. Again, thanks for your posts!

jonerz his team is amazing that is for sure. where David is concerned he has all the naturally gifted talent needed just needs to find the right combo of help etc if he wishes to be successful in the biz. now that is if he wishes it to be. Pink is quite talented and is very popular as well as Beyonce, also Ed Sheeran a new comer is really good too. yes there are folks who gravitate to the manufactured and I was one of them.. loved David Cassidy, The Monkees, etc as a child and so be it for the youth today.
there is music for everyone these days it seems and for that I am very grateful.

My 4 granddaughters have been or are still Bieber fans. And all 4 have been to D’s concerts. With all their friends on the bandwagon with Bieber it is easy enough, not to mention age appropriate, to do so from my perspective of when I was that age. They don’t care about lip syncing or off key singing…they love the pageantry and hype and the show and Bieber is young and male and close to their age so it is an experience for all their senses that they can enjoy with their friends…a way to share self and feelings and belong.

I asked my 16 yo GD when she decided Bieber was for her 7&9 yo sisters and not for her when she declined a Bieber concert invite to instead see her boyfriend (I was shocked actually) and she said Bieber was fun but none of her friends are in to him. I asked if if she still listened to David’s music and she said a few songs rotate on her playlist and a few of Biebers. She then said knowing her G’ma’s uber fandom with D that she rather thought Biebers songs would fade away and that some of Davids songs were “Mom, home, and chocolate chip cookies” in that they made her feel good and optimistic and comfy. So that’s one young’uns thoughts

Gives me hope. The world is infinitely big enough for Bieber and David to have their time in the Sun. David is getting a slow deliberate, natural tan, controlling, when, where and how he is in the limelight; where as Bieber is fully and constantly getting the rays fortified with tanning lotions, tanning booths, and all manner of limelight advisors. Hope at the end both achieve their dreams and don’t get burned.

But I would have to give full credit to his management team. They are extremely extremely good at what they do. They are the ones with the talent if you ask me. For they were able to take a regular Canadian kid and turn him into the biggest superstar in the world in a really short amount of time. And although people like to dismiss the Biebs as just a short fad, he’s been around, what? Like 3 years already? And his hype still seems pretty strong. Don’t see him falling off the scene in the near future anyways.

And that takes an extremely skillful management/marketing team right there.

Being “old” is a state of mind tell your daughter . David is one if a kind I enjoyed every word of your post . I to will be an Archie until I die!! Well the young generation will be old soon let’s see what happens ! Thanks for believing in ” David “

dangitdavid, thanks for “taking one for the team” LOL, loved every word! I find it fascinating that David and the Biebster arrived on the scene about the same time but their careers took such different trajectories — I don’t have anything against Beebs, he seems like a nice enough kid, but as abanana and Jonerz said, his management team deserves the Grammy, lol — really interesting to hear how different their shows are, though.

I’m selfishly pretty happy that we don’t have to worry about D’s shows selling out 55,000 seats in 10 minutes — yet,, that is — we’d never get tix! LOL

Rotfl!! Good point about selling out 55,000 seats!! We’d all be fighting for front row seats lol My friend and I were in the rafters for the JB show….I’m sure at one point, a pigeon sat on my shoulder 😉

dangitdavid – this is the classic example of “the things we do for…” Thanks for being candid about your comparison. Yeah, JB’s team deserves an award for elevating such average performer into a phenomenon.

But aside from his Management, the fans and the Biebs himself, we should also factor in the industry’s acceptance of this performer. Let’s face it. Aside from a handful of real artists and manufactured performers, he has helped keep a beleaguered industry afloat. So it should not be a surprise if he is embraced by media, radio stations, etc… It is a business after all.

Am just glad that the Grammys this year has not included him in its roster of nominees. ‘Bout time. AMA is understandable. It’s a fan-voting driven award. Commercial acclaim must be distinguished from artistic merits – (the latter) for which The Grammys is historically known for.

No matter how many points are valid in regards to JB being a manufactured star, I can’t for the life of me understand why people who are parents or of that age, continually bash an 18 year old singer for the person he is. We try to teach the youth to go after their dreams no matter how much talent they have and then we discuss the many faults of their successes.

We try to have our daughters see David for the wonderful singer he is but we turn and dismiss their stars as unworthy artists.

No matter how right we are and how determined we are to prove it, leave the young nan to his successes. Have you never heard the Jonas Brothers unaccompanied? Sometimes the ones who find fault the most, are the ones closest to home and that is really sad.

If we don’t care for JB that is OK but let the kids have fun without so much heavy criticism.

One of the biggest differences between David and JB is the ages of their fanbase.

JB has millions of fans closer to his age who have stuck with him from the start and are still with him. That pretty much insures he will be around for longer than most. His handlers will make sure he gives his fans what they want & expect. That is what they do and their financial rewards have been enormous.

Now take David. His fanbase consisted of people whose ages ranged from tots to seniors in their 90’s, some who show up at his concerts. Sorry, but young concert goers don’t want to be in the same audience with screaming moms & grandmas. It is/was a turn off for many of his young followers to see all the older women swooning over David. Many simply moved on.

Whether we older fans admit it or not or like it or not, David NEEDS fans closer to his age. It’s sad to see read his fan sites and the comments from his current much smaller fanbase of older fans. Where are the young fans who were there in 2008 & 2009? Following JB?

David does have a younger fanbase in Asia which is why he loves performing there. We may think he doesn’t care about being treated like a pop star, but how do we explain the obvious happiness and excitement he exudes when he performs in Asia where he IS a pop star? He loves it and it shows. He NEEDS the youngers fans. The problem is that without his older fans, he would have few people in the audiences in his MKOC tour. Makes me want to cry.

Actually not too many superstars seem happy to me and way too many of them end in a tragic death such as Michael Jackson and Elvis. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that shy,introverted David didn’t become the huge star that many of us wanted. David said he had always intended to go on a mission which seems to be almost a right of passage for a young Mormon man.

IMHO the problem David had was not his older fans but the fact that radio would not play his songs after Crush. I have yet to figure out how an artist can get radio to play their songs.

I disagree with does not work 4 me. I think there is a place for an artist like David that can appeal to all ages. He may never have the superstardom of Juston Bieber, but I don’t think David ever wanted that. He can stil make a living in the music industry but in a different way than Justin. When David gets back from his mission he will be too old to be a teen idol anyway. I think he can make a living doing Christmas shows that you can tell he truly loves and by continuing where he left off in Asia. It’s clear that Justin loves his role as teen idol. David was never comfortable with it. He just wants to sing and I do hope he can make a living at it.

I’m sure the audience at a Carrie Underwood concert is all ages. Not sure why David needed to limit himself to just an audience of his peers and just what should he sing for 23 years olds when he gets back? Older fans do have the money for expensive tickets.

I was not trying to insult David’s older fans who seem to be in denial about the fact that David does indeed love seeing the young audiences in Asia going gaga over him as if he is a bonafide teen pop star. I was only being honest and realistic.

Sure, he can make a living doing the Christmas shows knowing his older fans will be there, as well as continuing on in Asia as a pop star & making soaps. I would much rather he concentrates on making a comeback here in NA, regaining the fans who have moved on and fighting for the recognition and respect of the American music industry. He has the talent. He just needs the will & desire to work for it. Or he can do as you said and eventually disappear altogether here in America.

He had a window of opportunity which didn’t pan out to his & his team’s liking so he made the decision to go on a mission. If TOSOD had lived up to his expectations & exploded on the scene as he hoped, do we really believe he would have made the decision to go on a mission? I think not as he said many times before when asked, he felt he was already on a mission. I believe the first two years after AI, he was simply too popular and becoming too widely known be even consider going on a mission. The less than expected sales of TOSOD I think made him start seriously thinking of a mission. And so here we are and there he is. Using his talent to bring the Chileans, all ages, to the LDS Church.

He couldn’t go on a mission the first few years after Idol because he was under contract with Jive and 19R. Yes, if TOSOD had been more successful David probably would have not been able to go on a mission. We all have our theories on what should have been done so that album would have been more successful. The thing I learned from following David and studying the music industry a bit is that it is an extremely tough business and getting radio play is very hard. David worked his tail off and he seemed happy with the songs on the album. It is what it is. We shall see in 2014 what David will do to jump start his career. We will just have to stay tuned but the teen idol era is over IMHO.

does_not_work4me, I’m not disagreeing with everything you say but I personally don’t assume that high album sales and 50K size crowds of young people necessarily make one happy. No two people are alike; I can imagine for someone leaning toward introversion, the lack of privacy and the pressure to stay at the top could possibly lead to something tragic. Also to me, David seems much more complex than just album sales and fans. He decided to go on a mission with 21 years of life experiences under his belt — experiences that only he would know. My guess is that all 21 years of living helped to shape his decisions.

does not work 4 me, I agree with some of what you say, it is clear that “David does have a younger fanbase in Asia which is why he loves performing there” … but ask yourself why he has that younger fanbase in Asia, which he was unable to maintain in the U.S.? For one thing, they actually play his songs on the radio in Asia. Also, having a great voice seems to matter there, and being wholesome isn’t something to be ridiculed the way it often is here in North America.

The music industry is changing so fast these days, It’s impossible to keep up with all the new ways to get music out there and build a fan base… and who knows what it will be like in 2014. The fact that David still has a devoted bunch of hardcore fans… no matter where they live in the world or how old they are… at least gives him support to build on come 2014.

I was up late last night listening to those wonderful concert songs from Chile. Just beautiful, OHN was simply gorgeous in Spanish. What a sweet gift to be able to hear those songs, amazing. Very grateful for the videos and yes Grammyj, I’m sure the audience was all ages! I like what you wrote.

To each his/her own thoughts but have to disagree with “does not work 4 me” somewhat. Someone as gifted as David can successfully attract fans of all ages and can also make a decent living in the music industry doing what he loves to do. There are JB / DA fans out there too. He does have his young following, not just the older fans. All are appreciated by David. Don’t think anyone is ‘in denial’ about David needing young fans. We love the Asian fans (of all ages).
…I have been to a couple of Josh Groban concerts and there are people in the audience from teens to seniors and everyone has a good time. Nobody cares that there is a variety of ages in the audience, nor does Josh. When you have such a unique and incredible gift like David does, it is only natural that all types of people will be attracted to you…when you have that ‘grab’ factor that David has that goes right to your heart. He will always have his young fans and David seems to be quite happy following his heart and marching to his own drum. Not a typical ‘teen idol’, don’t really think he every wanted to be thought of that way. Of course he should have young fans…and he does. Not worried about David. JB is a teen attractor, simply because that is what his focus is and his music is about. David doesn’t limit himself to any one group or style of music….as he says, it’s for “anyone who is willing to listen”. No boundaries there. As for the mission experience, a sacred and personal decision for David, something he has said he wanted to do since a young boy. The time was right for him. It’s all good. 🙂
Just my humble opinion. Sorry for the lengthy post.
Love the winter background TOfan! (always love the backgrounds here).

Love what you has to say, peppertara and I agree. I especially like the part that his music is for “anyone who is willing to listen” and that he marches to his own drummer. Unfortunately today in the music industry they want to put you in one genre but David can do it all. I think that was why it was hard for Jive to market him. He really has a remarkable voice and i do hope he has a long singing career.

However, because I am and will always be his fan, it’s my fervent hope when he returns, he will work hard to attain the credibility, respect and recognition as a relevant artist in the music industry HERE in the US. Because if instead he takes the easier road & returns to Asia where he is a star, where he is perceived as a teen idol, gets radio play, etc, he will never reach the level of success we all think he deserves. It must begin again here and it will begin again here.

Seeing the videos of David performing live which appeared today from Chile was a beautiful but sadly, a rare gift which we won’t see again until next Christmas. But perhaps not even then since I heard rumors there is word the videos may be taken down per request by the LDS Church even though this was a public event. It was a live stream by LDS.org meant to be viewed by members of the LDS Church.

I’m not sure why he can’t do both – Asia and the U.S. Many artists go to Asia now. David can make money there and use it for projects in the U.S. Adam Lambert seems to be going all over Asia, Europe, Russia, and China. He’s really not that popular here anymore but gets an audience all over the world. I can see David expanding to Spanish speaking countries as well. With the internet we as fans can go along for the ride.

I think David would love to have similar success here as he enjoys in Asia – his joy is so readily apparent when he performs there and he has expressed his immense gratitude several times for their incredible support. You guys have made some great points.There are a host of reasons for the differences in success between he and JB, and his career here and abroad. And as tofan touched on, some of the cultural differences play a big roll. Not to mention D’s refusal to “play the game” – he is more into keeping it real. I think he wants to be as successful as he can be, (he works his tail off), just not at any cost.

dangitdavid!!!!!! awesome post!!!! Kudos to you for going to see this “mega-star” and giving us the low down on how he compares to the best live singer in the world!!!! lol He just can’t!!!
I am so basking in the vids that came out of Chile this weekend!!! eeeeeeeeeee What a great Christmas gift!!!
As for David’s success or lack of it in the future…..He will follow his path….. for me I see a big difference between critical acclaim and success and the hyped up fabricated super fame that JB has. To me that is a lot of money and marketing and I have no desire for David to reach that level. There are many artist with a more organic type of success which I believe will come to David because of his talent and the type of artists he has worked and written with in the past. If success and radio play in Asia gives him the $$$ to do whatever he wants musically> that WFM. My hope is that someday he will get the radio play and grammy awards etc. >when he finds a producer that can really bring out all that David can do vocally and not try to put him in a box,…. IMO David is something totally unique and he will find his niche in time.

Double Amen!!! David’s day in the spotlight will come and he will not have to resort to compromising his integrity to do so and he will do it on his own terms…..I for one cannot wait for that to happen and will still be along for the ride 🙂

YES!!…. “My hope is that someday he will get the radio play and grammy awards etc. >when he finds a producer that can really bring out all that David can do vocally and not try to put him in a box,…. IMO David is something totally unique and he will find his niche in time.”

Love the award they have for David for his Forevermore album sales, congrats David! His little sweet pre-recorded Christmas message is awfully nice too. Many special Christmas gifts lately!
Finally received my FEE too, another sweet gift.
If anyone can tune to the station in B.C. (or elsewhere) CHNU JoyTV, they are showing David’s concert with the MoTab choir on Tuesday, Dec 18th at 9:30 pm. Love seeing all the TV advertising for it every day. I’ll be watching. 🙂